Surtur (moon)

Surtur

Discovery
Discovered by	Scott S. Sheppard David C. Jewitt Jan T. Kleyna Brian G. Marsden
Discovery date	26 June 2006
Designations
Designation	Saturn XLVIII
Pronunciation	/ˈsɜːrtər/
Named after	Surt
Alternative names	S/2006 S 7
Adjectives	Surtian /ˈsɜːrtiən/
Orbital characteristics
Semi-major axis	22707000 km
Eccentricity	0.451
Orbital period (sidereal)	−1297.7 days
Inclination	177.5°
Satellite of	Saturn
Group	Norse group
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	4 km
Albedo	0.06 (assumed)
Apparent magnitude	24.8
Absolute magnitude (H)	15.8

Surtur /ˈsɜːrtər/ or Saturn XLVIII (provisional designation S/2006 S 7) is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006 from observations taken between January and April 2006. It was named after Surt, a leader of the fire giants of Norse mythology.

Surtur is about 4 kilometres in diameter, and orbits Saturn at an average distance of 22.707 Mm in 1297.7 days. The Surtian orbit is retrograde, at an inclination of 177.5° to the ecliptic and with an eccentricity of 0.451.

External links

• Institute for Astronomy Saturn Satellite Data
• IAUC 8727: Satellites of Saturn June 30, 2006 (discovery)
• MPEC 2006-M45: Eight New Satellites of Saturn June 26, 2006 (discovery and ephemeris)
• IAUC 8826: Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn April 5, 2007 (naming the moon)